It was the year of The Conquest, 1066. William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy was now King William I of England or William the Conqueror after his defeat of Harold II at Hastings. To the Welsh this was of small concern, William was King of England and that meant little to Wales, of that's how it should have been, but with William came land hungry lords and a voracious clergy. For most the land hungry lords were the concern, but for followers of the old ways it was the zealots of the Church of Rome that accompanied him as a condition for Papal blessing on Williams Conquest, as a token of this blessing and a reminder of this contract Pope Alexander II presented William the Bastard a consecrated banner in support. Wales, or Cymru (Land of the Cymry) as it was known to its people, was home and haven to many followers of the old ways and the Druids worried little about the lords of the world. They'd survived the Romans, Angles and Saxons with some difficulty, but they did take notice of the temporal lords of the world. The lords wanted taxes and subservience, the church wanted souls and no competition.

Already Roderick Montressor, the Papal agent to William's court had begun his work and led many select followers into Cymru and begun their work. The Archdruid Bleiddudd ap Caddock was taken at Arvon as he traveled to meet with Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Gwynedd and Powys, and by default all of Cymru. They meant to take him back to English soil, but the pursuit of the Cymry was too persistent leaving them with no choice but to murder him and burn the body. Lord Montressor fled, leaving half of his retainers as a fighting rearguard--and to be slaughtered. They were. This left the Cymry a strong King, no Archdruid and something of an emotional crisis.

Bleiddudd's ashes were returned to his home, lush green hills overlooking the small strip of Irish Sea that separated mainland and Alglesey, the rituals were performed and the remains of the Archdruid were returned to the land, but the loss of his spirit was mourned. The snug cottage of Bleiddudd ap Caddock looked over that of his niece Heulyn, her Irish husband Seanan

Sahely stood silently, the sound of the sea, wind and wildlife surrounded her in nature ballad as she waited for the arrival of the Archdruids. She paid no heed any passing glances or stares as she focused seemed determined and unwavering at the water. Her hands clasped in front of her, she let her thoughts drift to her Great Uncle and his teachings, once again she felt a sadness swell for a moment but she knew his spirit will return someday. From those thoughts her mind went to those who would take his place in her training. For a moment her still body shifted from one foot to another, her hands squeezed each other a moment.

The sight of a boat coming through the fog brought her from her thoughts, her golden brown eyes looked to the men with in. Her eyes drawn to the man in the center, she needed not hear his name to know who he was. Her hands broke there clasp on each other so one could draw stray hairs from her face. Many stories were told of the Archdruid, his powers, his successes, both on and off the field. She held mixed emotions about meeting such a man, eager to meet the man of the stories with so many victories, apprehensive though due the stories of his triumphs that were won off the battlefields.

Her mothers voice cut through her thoughts and she nodded in agreement with her mother. Her fathers words though cause her gaze to leave the boat as she looked upon her father a moment, a slight smile flickered over her lips at his warning and she nodded and said softly.

The boat eased up against the sandy bank and the three stepped over the side. Her parents walked down with her in time to hear Seumas raise his staff. "Oak and mistletoe protect thee," he intoned in a loud and thickly accented voice. "Sun, moon and sky watch over thee, field and forest and sea nurture thee. Blessings be upon us all, and may all that stand against the world we embrace withdraw and leave us in peace and solitude." He smiled at the crowd as his staff glowed briefly with a blue light that washed over them all.

"Now," he said in a softer and possibly even a needy voice. "Wha' hae ye tae drink, no slight upon the hospitality o' the fine lads in the boat, but they took us fer holy men, and while we may be we are nae priests and ahm fair perishin' from thirst. Whiskey, ale, mead or wine if ye hae it, I feel the need tae purify muh throat."

He mother looked at Sahely. "I never believed that people spoke like that! They make the Irish sound quite normal."

"Ah, I see where this is goin'," her father grimaced. "But his tongue is thick as a plank and twice as hard to work with. He's Scots to his fingertips."

"Ah, there they are," Seamus said as he returned a drained pottery jar to the older woman who'd proffered it to him. "Ahm thankin' ye Missus," he smile was broad and genuine, "but we've work tae be aboot, come Dougal, Finn, we've come this far tae bring counsel an' a gift tae our lost brother, let us be aboot it now."

He led them to Sahey and her family. "Sadly we greet the brother and sisters," Seumas said formally. "Yer loss is deep and little may we do tae ease th' burden ye bear, but love of out great family spread sae far aboot th' world bids us try. We bring this," he motioned for what appeared to be a log to be brought forward, this is a gift o' a sacred oak grove, brought tae us from the lightenin' from above tae lay th' branch at our feet when we asked what we may bring tae set the spirit o' our dear brother Bleiddudd at peace." Dougal removed a cunningly-carved lid from the small coffin. "We'll place his ashes in sacred wood tae set them and th' spirit that lingers aboot them still tae rest until he shall walk again among us. Let us go then, and set him in your sacred places tae join wi' th' world he loved."

Eyes were a bit glazed about him, his speech was far more formal than any were used to, and his accent would test the edge of a crosscut saw. It was the work of a few hours for them to murmur the words in deep sonorous chants in an ancient dialect of the Celts as they moved his ashes from the urn to the hollowed log, and when at last the lid was replaced and the coffin was wrapped tightly with vines covered thickly in thorns and flowers, no harm came to their hands from the thorns and the scent of the flowers lightened the hearts of all; then, at a single collective word from them the wound vine seemed to tighten even more on its own, and as they placed it within the stone enclosure the thorns grew longer and more menacing. "May this gi' ye comfort until ye need it nae longer, and walk among us again." Seamus stepped out last and he and his comrades each laid a hand on the stone, which rolled obediently to seal the cairn.

There was some slight pause as food and drink were brought out for all, and they sat together among the trees on the ground with wooden trenchers. "Ah fine feast," Seumas complimented them all grandly. We've nae seen mutton so fine, nor bread so soft in many a sore mile, and th' ale, ah cannae describe, that close tae tears from th' joy of it, I am." And he was silent again as Dougal and Finn each shared a benediction with them all, and Seumas remained silent until nothing to eat or drink remained in his reach, and then he rose with his companions. They each seemed amply satisfied to leave the speaking to him.

"We are th' people o' th' land, o' the wood and field, the mountain and valley and the rivers and lakes and seas. Like th' stones o' our lands we've weathered e'ery storm. War among the' kingdoms o' Britain, Cymru, Alba and

Sadness had filled Sahely through out the ceremony for her uncle. Like the other her eyes were glazed over with emotion by the end of the chanting, and the closing of the tomb. Through out the meal her eye's glance to the three men on occasion but mostly she kept to her self and her own thoughts. Food finished Sahely thoughts drifted once again to her uncle, and her teaching. She knew time was not a tranquil time, the death of her uncle brought that home more then anything. Much was coming to her future, much she needed to continue to learn to be able to help her family. The strong thickly accented voice brought her from her thoughts and she once again looked up as Seumas spoke. She listened to his words and once again awe over her took her. There was no little thing this man didn't do, his power was rich, and ran deep. What knowledge he held was just rumored, but she didn't doubt those rumors to be true. When he spoke to her parents, she couldn't help the soft laugh at her fathers reply.

She tilted her head slightly and nodded a touch when he studied her a moment.

"All, is mah reputation so grand it makes me a crowd the?" he chuckled at his own joke until Dougal poked him in the ribs. Seumas looked from side to side. "Oh, I suppose she meant the pair o' ye as well. O' course."

Dougal looked over the crowd. "How far from here was Bleiddudd taken?"

"A bit under four leagues," her father replied.

"We'll need a secure place then," Finn said thoughtfully. "We're rather exposed here."

Seumas smiled and it wasn't necessarily a pleasant sight. "A secure place is five paces in any direction o' me," he said, tapping his staff on the gound. "Ah've hae stomach for skulkin, let this bluidy bastard o' a bugger Montressor try an' find me, poor bugger might make me a happy man an' succeed."

"You want him to find you?" Finn wondered.

"Oh, aye," Seumas nodded. "Daves me th' bother o' wonderin' where he is. Once Ah find him its short work tae gather his guts fer garters. The rest Ah'll send back tae Billy Bastard an' be can send him back tae his popishness." He looked around carefully. "But, for now there's a pall o'er this land. Sadness that sinks intae th' very soil. Send for wood, and ale, or whiskey if ye can find any aboot. So, young Sahely m'lass, hae ye e'er stood in a healin' circle?"

Sahely gave a quiet laugh to Seumas joke, and brought a small hand to the side of her face for a moment as she listened to them talk. Her brows rose slightly when Seumas expressed his want to see the man, and a slight smile curved her lips. When he turned to her she offered him a smile shaking her head slightly.

"Aye Missus, it does," Seumas nodded. "But tea is weeds, mayhap weeds with exalted lineage but weeds nae the less, and I cannae bless the weeds and let th' people starve. Ah must encourage th' grasses and grains to give life t' th' people. Ye'd not want th' good folk to try tae fill shrunken bellies with boiled weeds would ye?"

Seanan shook his head slightly. "We have ale at our home," he told Seumas. "You can stay the night with us, and attend to duty in the morning."

"Fine then," Seumas beamed. "Now tae th' important matters. Can ye cook Lass, and hae ye any ham aboot? I'm fair perishin'!" He asked Sahely with complete seriousness. "Then we'll sup ale and sing sad songs and send our brother tae see th' next woorld in grand style." He thought about it for a moment. "Hae ye the proper robes, lass?" He looked at her plain country dress.

"Not as yet," her mother replied quickly.

"Nae matter then, Ah've brought much wi' me, and ye can alter them tae need as we eat and talk, wi' a wee sup tae keep the throat from crackin'."

"You're sleepin between me and your Mum," Seanan said to his daughter as they walked toward the house from the barrow grove. A few of the sailors carried bundles from the ship to the house behind them as Seumas chatted outrageously with the women of the village wo came to prepare a second feast for the apparently bottomless Archdruid. "Does he ever stop talking?" her father asked Dougal.

"Not that I've ever noticed," Dougal replied.

Inside the house Seumas unpacked a full set of Druidess' robes, formal and everyday wear and her mother tsked over them right away. "They're made for one stouter than you'll ever be," Heulyn said to her daughter.

He spoke of the tricks of memory to hear things spoken and the ability to recall it word-for-word years later. And with that he sat with a tankard and began to speak, frivolity came in a merry voice, but those things she'd need to know in a lower and more sonorous voice as he nearly chanted them to her, and all that listened.

Listening to Seumas talk, Sahely already found herself beginning to understand him easier and easier. She gave a slight nod at his question but before words could be spoken he moved on to another question, which her mother quickly filled in the answer. As they started to walk to her house she looked up to her father, a frown touched her lips but she nodded.

[smg id=1797 align=left]"Tis a fearful hard time comin'," Seumas said grimly. Th' kingdoms o' th' world hae been at war wi' those things they consider unnatural. Fancy words for th' lycans, men that can turn to wolf or fox or tiger, an' th' vampires, an' other things that hae lived beside an' among the rest o' th' world since time began. Folk think its th' church's doin', but in truth they could give a care. The church is contestin' wi' the followers of Mohammad over lands and hae no worry about what has been here so long. This Man Roderick Montressor, who killed Bleiddudd, does nae work for th' church not th' pope as many claim. He works for a deeper an' more secret group. How else could this war hae been waged in the lands of the east, the far east an' the west. What care the Moors for what th' Pope says? Nae a bit. And now tha' th' others hae been driven out to parts unknown, Montressor and his ilk had come for us. They've broken th' Druids in Brittany in France and among th' Germans, an' now they come here."

Seumas paused to wet his throat from his jar of ale, but he was watching Sahely as well. "There are places that hae held out, Transylvania for one, but th' fightin' continues there. Odd it is, if ye've seen old coins and carvins, ye'll see that th' Caesar had wolfmen in his legions, as did Alexander. Lycans they're called after th' Greek fashion, but now they've been killed or driven out. Gone to th' east some say. Now this Billy Bastard comes tae Britain and holds the crown o' th' English and th' old places there are in hands that know naught o' their worth nor meanin'. Tis mortal wrong, an' no mistakin' it. Montressor brings tae England gold and silver tae buy Norman ears, and how much longer b'fore they come west tae finish what he started?"

He sipped again at Sahely. "So, lass, what would ye do? What d'ye think we should do? Do we fight? Do we hide? Do we call down all o' nature upon them? What would ye do tae vouchsafe th' Druids o' Cymru?"

Sahely sat next to her mother, her attention on the words of Seumas. When he paused, his eyes focused on her, Sahely fought the urge for her gaze to fall away. She brushed a strand of hair from her face, and let her eyes stay on him. As he continued she listened as he talked of some stuff she had merely heard about. There was defiantly hard times coming, and for a moment her eyes drifted to her hands as she thought to her self. She wondered if she would be able to help well enough to be able to do what needed to be done keep those from her home. Then a memory of her uncle came to her mind and nodded slightly, then glancing to her father then mother just a second and she knew.

"Very good, Lass," he approved. "But, in th' fight tha's comin', is it th' course o' wisdom tae make our enemy Wee Billy Bastard or Roderick Montressor? An' where d' we make our fight? Here in Cymru, 'r in England hersel'?" It was the druidic way of teaching, define the lesson, and then discuss it through questions to find the course of wisdom.

"Let kings do war on kings," Seumas said thoughtfully. "If we do war 'gainst kings an' armies we bring the same as yer forefathers got from Rome. Right aboot where we sit now th' Legions lined th' coast tae crush th' last o' th' druids, they swept cross th' channel an' crushed them that stood on Anglesey, just there," he pointed toward the island just visible from their shores. "We seek tae address th' wrongs o' one man, should we nae then find that one man and exact th' price?" He grinned, and it wasn't a pretty sight, rather a feral look. "What say lass, that ye an' I carry ourselves tae th' lands o' th' English and collect yer due?"

"Grand," he replied, his shrewd eyes flickered in amusement. "Ah'll discuss it wi' yer father then, after ye've altered yer robes ye an' yer Mum can put by what ye'll need tae bring. We'll be packin' light." He drew closer to the fire and her father sat beside the archdruid, Dougal and Finn pulled up seats to either side of them and they spoke quietly by the fire to talk."

"I've no no notion of what to make of that man," Heulyn said to her daughter. "If the archdruids say it is the best course your father will agree, but he's going to have his say before it is over. That is a very powerful man, but a very disconcerting man as well. Have you heard that many with great power gain strange and strong appetites with that power? Perhaps this has happened with him?"

Sahely nodded her eyes moving to her father a moment before they collected by the fire then she turned to her mother. Her lips purse at what her mother said, she didn't know what to make of the man either. Rumor, and stories abound about the man, she was very curious about them all, but her mothers words concerned her.

"Strange and strong appetites, as your father says, keep a yard between the two of you," she replied. "He's a hard living man with a randy nature if I don't miss my guess. But, he's one of the strongest I've felt yet in the ways of magic. You can learn a lot from him, but do it with your clothes on." She said primly. "Not that I'm worried about you, just forewarning you."

Heulyn grinned at her daughter's sudden discomfort. "I don't think he'd do anything dishonorable," she clarified, "and I think you can learn a lot from him, perhaps too much," she teased her again.

Meanwhile her father and the three archdruids discussed things quietly, Seumas' normal playfulness seemed to be in-check now as he laid out his plans for them and then patiently listened to their concerns and suggestions. It was some time later that Sahely's mother led her to the curtained off area that separated her small cot and the small chest that went beneath.

"You can't carry much, a change of dry clothes, a few extra shifts, a bit to eat and a good warm cloak. More than that and you'll founder under the weight, and I don't think you'll want to be slowed." She set out two bags with shoulder straps, they were small but between them she could keep tightly rolled clothes in one and a well packed blanket in the other. You'll also probably want this this," she slid a sheathed knife with a six-inch blade to her. "Hide it in your clothes when you dress in the morning."

"I think that those years your father and I stumbled along a few years before you were born," Heulyn teased her. "So I think we can stumble along while you make a journey. I don't think that journey is long in coming though, have you noticed any hesitation or patience upon the part of our guest?"

"I do wonder about the ways your learning will take," she sighed. "While Master Seumas is powerful in the ways and in will and word, its his deeds that give me pause. You're a dear and innocent lass, and somehow I have the feeling he's going to show you the way of the conniver and mountebank. I suppose those ways have their uses, but he does seem to use them more than his actual powers. Perhaps he uses it as misdirection to hide his powers, but it doesn't seem proper for one of such power to behave so flippantly."

Sahely folded the clothing so they were small, so there would be room for more in the bag as she listened to her mother and listened. "You and father taught me well though. I will lesson and not means, of that i am sure." she said with glancing over with a small smile. Closing the bag tightly she fills the other one with the blanket and cinches that to. " I guess I shouldn't fret to much till the time is here." She turned from the bed and looked at her mother with a small smile, "Suppose pack and ready to go now, so when the time is here I am ready."

Morning came while it was was still dark, they wanted to be at the ring of stones to begin as dawn broke to begin the ritual cleaning of the land. Even the flamboyant Seumas was dressed in formal robes that morning and led the way unerringly through the dew-soaked grass and mists. The sky was faintly pink on the horizon when they reached the ring and Sahely's parents and a few others made a small fire off to the side while the Arch Druids stood silently staring at the horizon. At lat they gathered all together to stand with joined hands in a ring, Seumas began, speaking in a low quiet voice and the rest joined in, one voice then many blending into a single voice again until the sun was fully above the line of the horizon and the morning mists were burning off in a rising fog.

"There," Seumas said at last. "Who's got breakfast then?"

There were smiles at that and Seumas stepped off to one side and slipped from his heavy robes and packed them away, he pointed to a small pair of satchels which Sahely recognized as her own. "Are you ready to go?" he asked. "After we eat," he added hastily.

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